Book title: Highway Queen
Author: Virginia Phiri
Published by: Corals Services
Publication year: 2010


When the bakery from where a family enjoys a wholesome consumption of fresh bake gets burnt to rubbles, then the means of sustenance might probably be a thing of the past.

Virginia Phiri opens the pages of this mind blowing piece with the story of a family whose means of survival rest solely on a husband (Steven) who all of a sudden was retrenched due to some financial upheaval at his workplace. And without thinking, all in the name of making ends meet for her family, Sophie Mumba the wife of the retrenched worker and the lead character in this story seek for a greener pasture doing the incredible. Just as anyone probably would have guessed, it never came cool. Having not enough with her was a good privilege for some ill-hearted men who helped but took advantage of this helpless woman from a squatter camp.

Steven seems not to be responsible. Even though some life threatening situation had tortured him ruthlessly, it still shouldn't have translated into drinking to stupor or seeing a way out of a mess and ignoring it. Being the head of the family demands lot of work and leadership role, this thus will make a hardworking wife like Sophie go gaga when her husband who ought to be complementing her industrious effort, fails at performing his own part and even had the effrontery to complain about inadequacies of finance and food, (what happened to meat? We’re tired of vegetables!) See pg 81. The author carefully establishes that fact when she tells of Sophie's grievance towards her hubby's excessive drinking habit and his lackadaisical attitudes to get any job.
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